What you should know about your first years in TV news

Dress for the job you want

You may have heard the saying “dress for the job you want not the job you have.”

This is about way more than the clothes you are wearing and is something you should be thinking about the second you walk into a new newsroom.

You may think you want to spend two years in your position and then move on, but I have met so many people who had that plan before spending a decade plus at the same station.

There are ALWAYS chances for advancement within your building and you should be planning for them now and not just when the job is open and posted.

I see this mistake often.

An anchor position opens and all of a sudden a reporter starts working a bit harder…dressing a bit sharper…complaining a bit less. He thinks it’s “his turn” at the anchor desk. Problem is, the news director sees him as a reporter and goes with an outside hire. Why? Because the reporter didn’t carry himself as the next anchor until that chair was open. You want to be an anchor? You should be volunteering for any anchor shift available. You should be acting the part from the way you dress to how you volunteer in the community to how you post on social media.

A prime newscast is now open for a producer. 6pm…Monday-Friday! All the producers want it. What have you done to make it yours before it’s open? Are you someone who volunteers to work an extra shift when someone calls out sick? Are you someone who has creative ideas? Or…are you someone who just does what you are told and “has been here a long time” and expects the next promotion?

Newsrooms are competitive and you have to be ready when a new situation comes up. You want to be the “no brainer” for management so they don’t have a chance to look at someone else, or outside of the newsroom.